The Libertine's Crown Jewel
by kawaii pop
Summary: Charming and dangerous multibillionaire Darien Shield pursues Serenity as his ultimate conquest.
1. Amour

Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart

- Gibran

* * *

New York 

10am

Amidst the bustling streets of New York, a sleek black Porsche pulled up smoothly in front of a skyscraper. Naturally, New Yorkers hurrying to work spared an appreciative glance at the rich man's toy. With a rich click, the door swung open and a man stepped out, walking with cool casualness toward the Shield Corp. building.

"Good morning Mr. Shield" A brunette woman behind the secretary counter greeted, "A fax came in yesterday; Mr. Whitely would like to clarify the dates you specified in your last meeting"

Shield nodded, his beautiful lips curving into a sinful smile before going into his office.

Lita Beverly silently berated herself for being so foolish. Lita sighed, she knew Darien was bad news but he was so…charming. Beautiful in every sense; thick silky raven hair always tousled with the right amount of casual disdain, bewitching midnight blue eyes and smooth tanned skin. He truly was an Adonis.

She sought his attention ever since she laid eyes on him. She cringed when flashbacks of what she did came into mind. She would wear short skirts that teetered on the edge of being named inappropriate for a secretary, cancel calls from previous lovers, and bring him coffee everyday from the café in the lobby.

After two months, she got what she wanted. A five minute fling in his office; _he even had the balls to bring his new lady friend the next day_ she thought bitterly.

Today she was wearing long pants.

---

Presently, on the other side of New York City

JFK International Airport, Queens.

Large baby blue eyes scanned through the sea of welcoming relatives and friends.

The immigration terminal was impeccably clean, with simple modern black tiles and pristine white walls; the massive immigration hall was lit garishly by fluorescent lights. John F. Kennedy International airport was ultra modern in comparison to Sydney Airport's worn blue carpets… which Serenity had left just yesterday.

A man in a smart black suit standing against the glass railings held a white card with 'Dearborn' in bold black letters scribbled on it. Serenity picked up both her bags and walked toward the stranger.

"Miss Serenity Dearborn?"

Serenity nodded, exhausted from travelling a 24 hour non-stop flight. Just yesterday, she was on the other side of the world; in Australia.

"My name's Jeff. Right this way," The chauffeur beckoned her to hand him over her bags "Let me carry those for you"

The pair winded through the mass of people and went through the public entrance. There was an elegant black Mercedes parked quietly by the curb, which Serenity assumed was the transport her father had organized for her. The chauffer hurried down the pavement and popped the boot open. After placing her bags into the back he opened the door for her.

Serenity sat quietly in the centre of the backseat, she watched distantly through the back window, as blurs of green and grey passed her by. Out of habit, her slender hand combed through her golden brown hair.

"You're dropping me off at Jackson's Landing, right?" Serenity's pretty head turned away from the window.

"Yes, ma'am," the chauffer looked at her through the rear view mirror "Jackson's Landing West 54th, it's just ahead"

"Do you know a good place to have dinner?" Serenity asked absently "I haven't had a decent meal the whole day"

She had bad experiences with aeroplane food, but this trip, she had given the aeroplane food the benefit of the doubt, and had a bite. She was wrong, it tasted like the plane's assistants had doused the food with a bottle of detergent. In the end, Serenity ate a single pack of biscuits she had purchased at Sydney, for the entire plane trip.

"Ah, it depends; if you're looking for a plain simple meal then you're best off going to that 'Hard Rock Café' it's at Times square so you'll be able to do a bit of shopping afterwards. But if you're looking for more of a …sophisticated joint with really fancy food and the latter, you're best off at the 21 Club"

"I'll think I'll stick with the casual Café" Serenity smiled.

There was a awkward pause before Jeff cleared his throat "Forgive me if I'm intruding but…how old are you?" Jeff asked, his eyes glued to the road "A pretty young girl like yourself shouldn't be out here alone"

Serenity blushed at the compliment, "You sound just like my father! I just turned eighteen. I'm came over here all the way from Sydney"

"Australia? Christ, that's far"

"Yeah, I know. I just finished my finance degree and New York's the 'Finance Capital' so…"

"You're very young for some one who's got a degree," He muttered "Listen, I have no more errands after five, and so if you need a lift, I'd be more than happy to drive you to 'Hard Rock'"

"Thanks. I hate hailing cabs"

"No prob," Jeff Linton smiled to himself, glad that she accepted his offer. It's not that New York's cab drivers acted like outlaws, but there were the occasional bad apples "What time would be a good time to pick you up?"

"Uh… Lets see…" Serenity opened her handbag and took a look at her mobile's clock "It's around one; I need to do a couple of things when I get there so… will seven thirty be alright?"

"Can do"

Just then, a high rise apartment rose into view in front of the car. Ultra modern in design, it was constructed mainly of tinted blue glass supported by white frames with a blood red aluminium façade on the east side, complete with panoramic views of the city.

"I'll pick you up at seven thirty" Jeff confirmed as he walked with Serenity to the lobby. He handed her bags to the valet, "I'll wait for you at the front"

"'Kay, till then" she waved to him and made her way to the Concierge's desk. He cast her one final wistful glance as he walked back to his car.

Serenity, oblivious to his intentions, turned to the Concierge. He didn't look up from his computer but acknowledged her presence with a formal greeting, "Good afternoon, how may I help you?"

"I'm Serenity Dearborn; my father just booked an apartment a few days ago" Serenity said, slightly taken aback at his rude gesture.

"Ah yes, can you please show some proof of identification" The Concierge looked up and started in shock. He had flipped off a stunningly pretty woman and felt a wave of guilt. She had slight curled golden brown hair that reached beyond her shoulders and soft peach skin that was so rare these days.

The Concierge, Phillip, smiled distantly as he remembered his sister complaining to him that the tanning rage was starting to wear thin.

"_Can you believe it? I just got a tan last week and look how dark I look!" Cecily whined _

"_Tough break," Phillip chuckled at his sister's antics "I guess you could always use those whitening creams. I always see those things on TV nowadays"_

_Cecily snorted looking at him with disbelief; "Those "whitening" creams are just bleaches"_

"Here, it's my passport" Serenity put a navy blue pocket-sized booklet on the marble counter.

"An Aussie, eh?" He nodded impressively as he spotted the gold Australian coat of arms embossed on the cover of the passport. He whistled, "That's far"

Serenity sighed, "So I've been told"

"How long was the trip?"

"Twenty four hours, non-stop. I didn't get a single wink of sleep" Serenity yawned cutely to prove her point. Phillip chuckled softly.

"Just sign here and here" he passed a piece of paper over the counter.

Serenity picked up the fountain pen and quickly signed the papers, slightly desperate to get some sleep. The Concierge stapled the papers and handed her a card key.

"Your room is on the 37th floor" he smiled politely and nodded to the valet next to Serenity.

"The elevators are this way, Miss" the valet led her away from the desk and to a warm hall with four elevators on either side.

---

Rose Suite, the Plaza Hotel

4pm

"Please… Darien," A whimpering voice called from behind him. He stiffened with rejection as he heard her helpless sob from the bed.

"This was a one time thing Kate," He said quietly as he turned around to face her, "I thought we settled this matter earlier"

"I-I know. But you don't know how lonely...how lonely I am" She said softly, "Please stay with me Darien"

Darien laughed and raised a sceptical eyebrow, "What happened to the fiancé that women could only dream for?"

Kate smiled bitterly, "All Rob cares for is his business and his money"

"Isn't that the only reason you stay with him?" Darien smirked knowing his comment had hit home.

There was a pregnant pause before Kate looked at him hopelessly, "Yes – But I want to be acknowledged as well, is that too much to ask for?"

"Apparently so" He said dismissively.

Kate watched his retreating back ruefully. Just as he reached the door, she called to him "Darien, don't be mistaken, playing with people's hearts is a dangerous game. One day it'll backfire and to be honest I'll be awfully glad when that happens" She said savagely

His passive and calm demeanour changed instantly, Kate saw this and didn't dare say anything more. The cold, powerful air emanating him began to frighten her.

Slowly, Darien turned around to face her. His midnight blue eyes had turned cold and cruel "Lust is a temptation, one way or another, you'll succumb to it." He said softly "Only the truly noble can resist it. I'm not Prince Charming. Never was, never will be"

With a sadistic smile, he left.


	2. Babe in the woods

I know it's seems Serenity's a bit young, but hopefully I justify the reason why in this chapter. Thanks for the reviews.

* * *

Hard Rock Café

8 pm

"I think I'll have the grilled chicken with the pasta and a glass of lemonade. Wow, they have desserts…I'll also have a hot fudge sundae" Serenity passed the waiter her menu.

"I'll just have the stripped steak," Jeff said, "And Coke"

The waiter scribbled their orders and left them.

"So, are you staying here in New York permanently?" Jeff asked, eyeing Serenity with interest.

She nodded, "I am, but my parents are coming here soon for afew days.They were supposed to go to France for a business trip but they're going to take a detour and check to see if I came here in one piece"

"Overprotective parents, huh?" Jeff smiled, "But at least you know they care for you"

Serenity smiled quietly, "Yeah I know. I guess I'm lucky in some ways for being an only child – but I must admit, I like the attention"

Jeff laughed, "Your parents must be lucky for having such a beautiful girl"

He smiled charmingly when he saw Serenity blush. She looked up at him, baby blues gazing at him with serene happiness – his breath caught up. She broke the connection when she turned to see the waiter come back with their orders.

"The food looks nice" She smiled as her plate was placed in front of her.

For a few minutes, they ate in comfortable silence before Jeff spoke, "You said you studied finance?"

"Yep, I'm a part time stock trader" Serenity took a sip of her lemonade, "Dad said I should apply for a job after he visited"

"A stock trader at eighteen?" he asked disbelievingly

Serenity frowned slightly, knowing she owed Jeff an explanation; he did give her a free ride after all, "My dad's name is Benjamin Beauclair"

Jeff's eyes widened, "_Beauclair_? The billionaire?"

Serenity nodded, "I kept my mum's maiden surname."

"Wow, no wonder. I'm sure that if you were kidnapped they would hold you for a king's ransom" Jeff pondered for a moment, "He taught you all about stock trading didn't he? Of course he would know all about it. He's a major stock holder in the Walker brothers company…"

"You sure know a lot about the business world" Serenity sighed as she resumed eating again.

"Nah, I get this from the papers, they mentioned your dad a few days back in an article about that media-magnet Darien Shield" Jeff said as he cut a piece of steak, "But I swear to God, if I hear another word about Shield from the press, I'm going to shoot the man myself"

"That bad, is he?"

"He's a nasty piece of work, that one" Jeff said darkly," I dunno why, but he attracts all sorts of media attention. They just can't get enough of him"

"That's odd; my dad has never said anything about the guy" Serenity frowned distantly. If Shield was _that_ prominent in news, her father would have said something about him.

Jeff snorted, "That sounds about right. Actually your father and him are like rivals; both of them own major stock trading firms" He paused; "You see that tall building next to the Chrysler?" he nodded toward the window next to their table.

"The one with all the glass?" Serenity squinted slightly.

"Yep, that's the one" He said eyeing the building with bitter dislike, "That's Shield Corp, one of the biggest share trading companies in America. Shield's the CEO of it"

"I take it Shield's rich" Serenity said as she pulled the ice cream sundae toward her. She dug her spoon into the warm fudge, "I've heard of the company"

"He's probably one of the richest businessmen in the city" He sighed, "He leads the life of Riley. He has everything any average man could want. Money, looks, power…"

Serenity gave him an encouraging smile, "Hey, so what? Sometimes, luck favours the undeserving. One day his luck will run out"

Her words were cut short by a loud yapping sound coming from her tote bag. Jeff raised a sceptical eyebrow, "Did you smuggle in a dog?"

Serenity laughed, "Nah, it's my mobile" She flipped open her mobile, "Hello? Oh my god, hi mum!"

She paused, "You'll be here on Thursday! Of course I don't mind…yep…yep" Serenity gave an apologetic smile to Jeff, "Sure…didn't dad give you my apartment number...yeah I did! ... Ok…love you"

"Sorry about that, mum insisted on double checking my address" Serenity sighed

---

Shield Corporations

10:30 am

"Please don't tell me you slept with Johnson's fiancé" Andrew said with utter disbelief written across his face. He tossed the New York Times on top of Darien's desk.

Darien shrugged noncommittally, "Then I best not say anything" He walked over to his desk and picked up the papers. He scanned through newspaper and chuckled amusedly, his cobalt eyes gleaming mischievously.

Andrew shook his head dismally. His mossy green eyes swept across Darien's spacious office; Shield truly lived the life of a king. Darien Shield had expensive taste; this part was obvious by his office's furnishings and the different sport cars he would drive to work. But there were other things he had a distinctive taste for, not surprisingly, it was women.

"Darien," Andrew said carefully, "You do realize that you just broke up a happy couple" he took a seat on the leather armchair.

"Tell that to Kate, she didn't seem too happy the last time I saw her" Darien said as he sat opposite Andrew and took a sip of his coffee.

"Be that as it may, you just threw Johnson's dignity out the window - a man who isn't even able to keep his fiancé faithful…" Andrew sighed, "Everyone knows it was you who was the secret lover"

"It wasn't an affair" Darien said sharply, "More of a brief sexual encounter"

"You commited adultery!" Andrew lost his temper, "You did it to seal a deal with Johnson, didn't you? You used her to get to him, didn't you?"

"By hook or by crook," Darien smirked in an infuriating manner, "Whatever gets the job done"

Andrew shook his head, "Darien, you've been lucky so far" he warned, "Don't push it"

Darien's sensual lips curved into a cunning smile, "I won't"

Andrew frowned disbelievingly, "I'm sure. I didn't come here to rant about your love life, go to page three in the newspaper; there's something you might want to read"

A few minutes past as Darien read through the page, progressively, looking more and more intrigued. He put down the paper and looked at Andrew with a familiar playful smirk. He took a casual sip of coffee and leaned back on the comfortable leather chair, "Looks like my dear rival has a baby girl"

"Not much of a baby anymore, I can't believe he kept this under wraps for so long" Andrew said,"She's a peach though, isn't she? Lucky she didn't take on her father's looks" He chuckled lightly.

Darien looked briefly at the picture of the young blonde, she was indeed quite pretty but that wasn't new. It wasn't rare for Shield to find a woman more beautiful than the last.

---

Jackson's Landing Apartments

11:30 am

"Sweetheart! You look beautiful" Benjamin hugged Serenity and kissed her on the cheek

"You always say that" Serenity pouted.

"Darling, that doesn't mean it's not true!" Serenity's mum, Denise, said as she walked out of the kitchen carrying two cups of tea, "don't you have coffee?"

"Ick, I hate coffee" She said indignantly, "That stuff is so bitter. You can survive without it for a couple of days, can't you?"

Denise sighed disapprovingly and placed a cup of tea for Benjamin "You obviously don't know what happens to adults when they're deprived of their caffeine"

Serenity rolled her eyes, wondering if she would become a caffeine addict like her parents. She hoped not. Suddenly, the phone began to ring. Serenity took the phone off the cradle and answered, "Hello? Serenity speaking"

"Hi, this is Robert Johnson. May I speak to your dad for a moment?" A male voice said.

"Yup, wait a second" She covered the mouth piece and whispered, "It's Robert Johnson" Serenity passed the phone to her dad.

"Rob? It's been ages since we last spoke" Benjamin's surprised voice came through from the other end of the phone, "What's the emergency?"

Johnson laughed, "Benny; can't a friend call for a chat?"

"Of course," Benjamin laughed as well, "How'd you know I was back in New York?"

"It's hard _not_ to know; nothing escapes media coverage these days. How's Denise and Serenity?" Johnson asked jovially, "Serenity's looking more beautiful as each day passes" he added, "There are pictures of her in the papers"

Benjamin scoffed, "I haven't even gone public about my daughter and the media already assumes who she is. Just as well that they guessed correctly" he paused, "How are you holding up? I heard about the split up with Kate"

"Yeah, I'm…coping" Johnson sighed heavily, "Let's not talk on the matter. Did you get an invite to the ball?"

"Yes I did, but we're probably not going to go; Denise would love to go, but Serenity… I don't think she likes those kinds of extravagant events" Benjamin said, "There's no point in going without Serenity. Denise and I are a bit too old for that."

"It's the Rose d'arouge masquerade!" Rob said incredulously, "Do you know how big this event is? Invitations are somewhat legendary"

"I dunno…I'm just not into masquerades; it seems a bit frivolous at my age"

"Pft, don't worry. The only people who actually wear masks at the event are the younger generation; like Serenity. Honestly, they dubbed this stupid affair a '_the_ event of the season'," Johnson chuckled dryly, "The old codgers, retire upstairs and leave the youthful crowd to their fun"

"I'm not really sure" Benjamin said uncertainly, "Serenity probably won't go, and there's not much point in going without her"

"Come now, think about it; if Serenity goes, doors will open for her" Rob wheedled, "Besides, she'll be the belle of the ball; all the right people will be attending, they'll definitely notice her"

"Alright alright, we'll go" Benjamin gave in, "But why are you so eager for us to go?"

"Benny" Johnson began, "You know what those pompous businessmen are like; I need some worthwhile company to keep me awake"


End file.
